Weekend reading: Reports on food systems
Reports about one or another aspect of food systems are issued constantly and are hard to keep up with. Here are links to two major sources.
I. The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems.
This group produces impressive food-system reports at regular intervals.
Its most recent is Fuel to Fork: What will it take to get fossil fuels out of our food systems?
Our food system is hooked on fossil fuels. From fossil-fuelled fertilizers and pesticides to plastic packaging, ultra-processed foods, and long-haul cold chains, fossil fuels are entwined at every link in the food chain. Food systems now consume 40% of all petrochemicals and 15% of fossil fuels globally – making them a key growth frontier for Big Oil. Yet food remains glaringly absent from the climate conversation…This report sets out what it will take to break that addiction – and why it must start now.
II. FAO Committee on World Food Security, High Level Panel of Experts
This group produces reports aimed at faciliating policy debates and policy making. Its most recent is Building Resilient Food Systems (September 2025)
This report addresses the urgent need to enhance food system resilience amidst escalating environmental, political and economic challenges. It provides focused and action-oriented policy recommendations to build resilient food systems capable of withstanding shocks and stresses…The report highlights the need to shift…to approaches aimed at “bouncing forward” by means of transformative changes that address structural and systemic vulnerabilities…In sum, the report calls for immediate and sustained action to build food system resilience and ensure the right to food for all and the well-being of the planet for future generations.